A journey of innovation
New ideas and technological innovation define Tutorfair Foundation’s work in opening opportunities for young people.
Tutorfair Foundation began with a question. What if every student, regardless of background, could be given the tutoring they needed for academic achievement?
What if we could stop potential from falling through the cracks due a lack of resources? How about helping these students move closer to their dreams by offering free tutoring.
The idea resonated widely. Over 15,000 volunteers joined us, enthused by the thought of giving learners a more equitable shot at success.
A volunteer tutor shared, “I have really enjoyed volunteering with the Tutorfair Foundation. It has not only allowed me to help students feel more confident with their studies, but it has also given me a much-needed purpose.”
One-for-One
Our model of ‘One-For-One’ extended free tutoring to one student who couldn’t afford tutoring for every student who paid for it.
Students were delighted with the difference tutoring made to their grades. However, our idealism ran into the complexity of working with school systems and administrative challenges if we wanted to take our solution to scale.
On-Demand Tutoring
We turned to technology to find a way past these barriers, collaborated with Nesta to create and test an app for ‘On-Demand’ tutoring. The app connected students to a tutor in under 20 seconds. That’s less time than it takes to get a glass of water. An expert in the subject would respond to a text or picture and help the student through the problem. The solution was piloted with 645 students across 34 schools.
“It is so good, you can ask all the questions you couldn’t ask in class. If you haven’t got family that can help, this is definitely the next best thing,” said a pupil in Year 11.
“The On-Demand programme tested really well, highlighting our capability to build and manage efficient, cost-effective ed-tech that can reach people at scale,” says Andrew Ground, Founder, Tutorfair Foundation.
Students loved the app but we realised that holding young people through the rigour of continued learning required a combination of technology and human connection.
Powering Maths Circles
Today, Tutorfair Foundation uses the same tech-driven efficiency to power Maths Circles programme for Axiom Maths, reading programmes for Urban Promise and academic support programmes for partners like Hestia. We deliver over 400 classes each week with a 91% attendance rate. Complex scheduling, tutor training, safeguarding and data tracking run smoothly on invisible systems, letting us scale reliably.
The difference we make
The rigour pays off in the feedback we receive from students and their families.
“I found my tutor very helpful and patient during maths lessons. I learnt a lot from him and found it very useful,” says a student in Year 10.
Listening to students and their ambitions shapes our journey forward. They tell us about the specific opportunities they’re looking for, like dentistry exam prep, coding mentors or subject specialists, and we’re bringing it together with everything we’ve learned.
The way forward
We’re now ready to launch the Opportunity Exchange (OpEx), a curated marketplace that matches student ambition to expert volunteer capital, built on the infrastructure, technology, and delivery discipline we have spent years refining.
After a successful pilot, we are now ready to expand and grow our impact. We’re poised to link thousands of aspiring students to the opportunities that shape real careers, whether in medicine, technology, engineering, or emerging fields yet to be defined.
By partnering with tutors, schools and industry specialists at scale, we’re committed to ensure that talent, and not circumstance, determines a young person’s future.
Read more about Tutorfair Foundation to see how a powerful idea can spark change.